Cardinals name club exec Unger new Memphis GM

Brian Walton

04/21/2014

The St. Louis Cardinals have appointed a new general manager for their recently-purchased Triple-A club.

On Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals took a major step forward in the move to take over daily operations of their recently-acquired Triple-A club in Memphis by announcing club executive Craig Unger as the new General Manager of the Memphis Redbirds.

Unger, a five year veteran of the Cardinals front office, has already been on the job for the last few months assisting with the ownership transition. This announcement formalizes the change in leadership. Unger, formerly an Account Executive in the Cardinals' Corporate Sales and Marketing department, is permanently relocating to Memphis.

Unger, who joined the Cardinals in 2008, has led a number of diverse initiatives. They include an essential role in returning the team's radio broadcasts to KMOX (1120 AM), field producer for the 2009 All-Star Game at Busch Stadium, coordinating the 2011 World Series Victory Parade and securing last year's long-term partnership with St. Louis-based Mercy as the Official Medical Provider of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Ben Weiss, the Redbirds' General Manager since 2009, has been named Senior Advisor to the club. Weiss will assist Unger in daily management and ensure that the transition completes smoothly from Global Spectrum, the management group hired by previous ownership to stabilize the financial condition of the club. That relationship is expected to continue through the 2014 season.

Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnationblog.com. Also catch his Cardinals commentary daily at The Cardinal Nation blog. Follow Brian on Twitter.